To Protect And To Serve
by J. B. Tilton
Summary: When SG-7 returns from a mission with a strange metallic object, SG-1 is called in to investigate it. What they discover could present a threat to Earth and could well destroy the planet.
1. Chapter 1

STARGATE SG-1

"To Protect And To Serve"

By J. B. Tilton

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Rating: K

Disclaimer: "Stargate SG1" and all related characters and events are the property of MGM, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

When SG-7 returns from a mission with a strange metallic object, SG-1 is called in to investigate it. What they discover could present a threat to Earth and could well destroy the planet.

* * *

ONE

"We have confirmation, sir," said the Lieutenant in the control room. "It is SG-7."

"Open the iris," ordered General Hammond.

The iris protecting the Stargate opened to show what appeared to be a wall of water. It was the normal view of the Stargate when it was active. The personnel in the control room had become very accustomed to the scene.

Major Jason Withers, commander of SG-7, was the first to appear through the gate. Behind him came two more of his team pushing a cart with a huge block of metal on it. The block was eight feet long, four feet wide, and four feet deep. It was a dark gray in color. Behind the cart came the final two members of the SG-7 team.

"We'll assemble in the conference room in ten minutes," said General Hammond. "Everyone have whatever you have ready then. Move that . . . whatever it is into lab three for analysis."

Ten minutes later, General Hammond, SG-1, and Major Withers were in the conference room. Daniel Jackson had a stack of papers in front of him on the table. Major Samantha Carter had a similar stack of papers in front of her.

"Okay, people," began General Hammond, "what do we have so far?"

"I guess I'll start," said Jason. "About two weeks ago my team was sent to PX4275, a world we had just discovered. When we got there, we found the world decimated. Nothing was left, not even weeds or insects. Everywhere we looked, we saw the same thing. It looked like the entire planet had been destroyed from some form of aerial bombardment."

"Our subsequent surveys of the planet have confirmed this," said Daniel. "The planet appears to have been destroyed by extremely heavy bombardment from a Gould mother ship. As far as we went, it was the same thing. Nothing alive remains on that planet."

"That would be consistent with the Goa'Uld," interjected Teal'c. "If the inhabitants of the planet resisted, they would have been wiped out. The Goa'Uld would have rendered the planet uninhabitable."

"Yes," said Daniel. "From everything I can find by the records brought back by SG-7, this took place some three thousand years ago."

"Ancient history," interrupted Colonel Jack O'Neill. "We've seen the Gould do the same thing in other places. Hell, they tried to do it to Earth."

"Yes, Colonel," said Hammond, "but that metal thing that was brought back by SG-7 might just give us something we can use against the Gould."

"That is doubtful," said Teal'c.

"I agree with Teal'c, sir," said Withers. "Scientifically, these people, whoever they were, were far more advanced than we are right now. As for military might, the few remains of weapons we've found indicate they were even less advanced than we are. I'd put their military capabilities at somewhere equivalent to ours during World War I. Whatever weaponry they might have had would be inferior to ours and probably of no use against the Goa'Uld."

"So, what is this metal thing you've found, Major?" asked Hammond.

"We have no idea, sir," said Withers. "All of our attempts to analyze it on the planet were ineffectual. We couldn't even scratch it. Whatever it's made of it seems to be damn near indestructible."

"We have equipment in the lab that will identify it," said Hammond. "I know not everyone agreed with my decision to bring this thing back." He glanced over at Jack. Jack didn't say a word. "But this metal is even stronger than the metal the Stargate is made out of. With any luck we can reverse engineer it and find out how to duplicate it. It will go a long way in our war with the Gould."

"General," said Sam, "even if we can somehow figure out how to duplicate it, it could be years before we are able to do it."

"I know," said Hammond, "but this has the highest priority in the Pentagon. The President himself authorized this. The decision has been made. Now, we have to follow orders."

Suddenly an airman carrying an M-16 entered the room.

"I'm sorry about the intrusion, sir," said the airman, addressing the General, "but Dr. Lebowski would like to see you in lab three immediately. He says something is happening with the . . . the . . . thing."

Everyone in the room stood up and immediately followed the airmen out of the room. They went immediately to lab three where several other guards stood ready outside the room.

"Dr. Lebowski, what's going on?" demanded Hammond of a short, bald man wearing some very thick glasses.

"Well, sir," said Lebowski, "I tried to x-ray it but the x-rays wouldn't penetrate it. I've never seen anything even remotely similar to it. I'd say it's almost as if the metal has been . . . ."

"Doctor, please," interrupted Hammond. "You said something was going on with it."

"Oh, yes, sir," said Lebowski. "Well, after I couldn't x-ray it, I tried to slice off a piece for analysis. I used a laser drill, but it would even scratch it. So, I decided to send a low voltage current through it. That's when it happened."

"When what happened?" demanded Jack. His patience was wearing thin.

"It began to heat up," said Lebowski. "All by itself. When it was brought in, it was about sixty-nine degrees Fahrenheit. Now it's . . ., " he looked over at a dial on a machine, "ninety eight-point six. Exactly human temperature. It's been holding steady at that point for the last seven minutes."

"What does that mean?" asked Sam.

"What it means," said Lebowski, "is . . . I have no idea. But the instruments are going crazy. The readings we're getting are astounding. It seems that the metal is designed to react in a specific way. I mean, if I subject it to other stimuli, there's no telling what will happen. Maybe if I subject it to . . . "

"Doctor," said Hammond, "is it doing anything else?"

"Anything else?" repeated Lebowski. "That's amazing in itself. I don't know of any metal on Earth that reacts that way."

"Sir," said one of the guards, "that thing is doing something."

Everyone watched as the metal block changed from a dark gray to a dark blue color. The heat it had been radiating since the people had come into the room ceased.

Suddenly a thin line appeared around the block about two feet from the top. As they watched, the top of the block opened as if it was a lid to a box. Once the "lid" was open, the block returned to its' dark gray color.

No one moved for a moment. Everyone looked around the room at everyone else. Finally, Dr. Lebowski inched his way over and looked inside the open container.

"Well, I'll be," he muttered.

Curious, everyone edged forward to see what the doctor was exclaiming about. The inside of the container was carved out in the rough outline of a humanoid body. The carved out section was about two feet deep. Lying in the impression was what appeared to be a perfectly preserved human male.


	2. Chapter 2

TWO

"Wait a minute," said Hammond. "By all indications this thing is three thousand years old. How could it preserve a body in such pristine condition for that amount of time?"

"I suppose," suggested Daniel, "that the box or whatever it is has some form of status field inside it. That would explain why the body hasn't decayed at all."

The body was approximately six feet in height. It had coal black hair that was neatly trimmed similar to the military style common around the complex. It was dressed in a simple tunic and knee length pants, with no shoes.

"Are we sure he was ever alive?" asked Sam, looking over the edge of the container at the body inside. "He doesn't even look real. I mean, his skin has a gold hue to it."

"Well, I can't answer that," said Dr. Lebowski. "I'm not a medical doctor. I would suggest we move the body to the infirmary where doctors . . . "

"Uh, people," interrupted Jack, "I may be wrong, but it looks like our guest is awake."

Everyone looked at the body. Its eyes were wide open. Just moments before the eyes had been closed. They were looking straight up as if it was staring intently at the ceiling.

"Maybe it's just a reflex action?" suggested Daniel.

"After three thousand years?" asked Jack.

Suddenly the body sat straight up in the container. He looked around the room at each of the people who were observing him. The guards all raised their weapons, ready for any action the figure might make.

"Are you going to tell me THAT'S a reflex action?" asked Jack.

"It would appear that the individual is not dead after all," said Teal'c.

"Ya think?" asked Jack sarcastically.

"Ya think?" repeated the man in the container.

Everyone froze. Not only did this three thousand year old enigma appear to be still living, it had spoken. Possibly a sign of intelligence.

"Do you understand us?" Daniel asked the figure.

"Do you understand us?" questioned the figure. He was staring at Sam. More precisely, he was staring at her hair.

"Do you speak English?" asked Daniel.

"Do you speak English?" questioned the figure.

"Well, he'll make a great parrot," said Jack.

"Colonel," said Hammond, with that "let's get serious" tone. "Dr. Jackson, do you have any idea what's going on?"

"Well," said Daniel, "at the moment, I have no idea."

"I have no idea," repeated the figure.

"Wait a minute," said Sam. She stepped up in front of the figure. He had not yet taken his eyes off of her hair. "Sam," she said pointing to herself.

"Sam," repeated the figure.

"Yes, Sam," said Sam.

"Yes, Sam," repeated the figure.

"Hair," said Sam, touching her hair.

"Hair," repeated the figure.

"Who are you?" asked Sam very slowly and deliberately.

"Who are you?" repeated the figure.

"I'm Sam," said Sam. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sam," repeated the figure.

"We're not getting anywhere this way," said Jack. His patience was nearly gone. "Do you have a name?" he demanded of the figure.

"No," responded the figure, looking away from Sam for the first time.

Once again, everyone in the room stood dumbfounded. All the words he had spoken had been merely repeating what someone else had said. It was the first time he had said something without repeating it.

"No?" asked Jack. "You don't have a name?"

"No, I do not have a name," said the figure. "I do not know you. You are not Gim-Sho-Tu. I do not know you." He looked over at Teal'c. "But you I know. You are Joshnu. You serve the Gim-Sho-Tu."

Teal'c looked at the figure, no emotion showing in his face. He just stared at the figure.

"Teal'c, you have any idea what's going on here?" asked Hammond.

"In the distant past," said Teal'c, "the Jaffa have been referred to as the Joshnu by many races. Those same races referred to the Goa'Uld as Gim-Sho-Tu."

"Goa'Uld?" questioned the figure. "That is your word for the Gim-Sho-Tu?"

"Yes," said Teal'c. "That is the name by which they call themselves. I am Jaffa, the Joshnu as you have called them. But I do not serve the Goa'Uld any longer."

"I see," said the figure. "I sense a transportation device nearby. You will take me to it immediately."

"Transportation device?" questioned Jack.

"I think he means the Stargate," said Daniel.

"Stargate," repeated the figure. "This term is unfamiliar to me. Is it the device you use to transport yourselves to other worlds?"

"Yes," said Daniel.

"Then you will take me to it immediately," said the figure. "I must complete my mission."

"What mission?" asked Sam.

The figure turned and looked at Sam. Once again, he stared at her hair instead of her face.

"You seem to be fascinated with my hair," said Sam.

"I was unaware that hair could be such color," said the figure.

"We call it blonde," said Sam.

"This is all fascinating," said Hammond, "but we have some questions that need to be answered."

"Like what is this mission you spoke of?" asked Jack.

"My mission is to destroy the enemy of my people," said the figure. "My mission is to destroy the Gim-Sho-Tu, those whom you have named the Goa'Uld."

"All by your lonesome?" asked Jack.

"My lonesome?" questioned the figure.

"All alone," Jack clarified. "You're going to destroy them all by yourself. Without any weapons."

"That was why I was created," said the figure. "The Goa'Uld threaten my people. It is my duty to destroy them and protect my people."

"I think," said Daniel, "we'd better have a chat with our friend."

"I must be taken to the transportation device," said the figure. "What you have called the Stargate. I must complete my mission and protect my people."

"First," said Hammond, "there are a couple of things we need to discuss."

"Please," said Sam, "it won't take very long. And you really need to know what we've discovered."

The figure stared at Sam for a moment, and then nodded his head in agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

THREE

"What you say is not possible," said the figure. While moving to the conference room, one of the guards mentioned that the figure reminded him of his Uncle George. With no other name to call him, General Hammond decided that George was as good as any.

"It's all true, George, believe us," said Sam.

"Three thousand years?" questioned George. "And you say my people are all dead?"

"As far as we can tell," said Daniel. "Nothing is left alive on your planet."

"It will be the same all over your planet," said Teal'c. "The Goa'Uld would have destroyed the entire planet. As an example to others."

"So you see," said Daniel, "your mission no longer exists. Since your people are dead, there's nothing for you to protect."

"It changes nothing," said George. "My primary objectives are to protect my people and destroy their enemy. My people may not exist any longer, but their enemy does. I must still destroy the enemy of my people."

"Well, first, I'd like our doctors to take a look at you," said Hammond. "To make sure you're okay."

"I do not see the relevance in this," said George.

"Please, George," said Sam, "indulge us. It won't take very long. After that, we'll talk about letting you complete your mission."

"Very well," said George. "I will allow your doctors to examine me. Then I must be allowed to complete my mission."

"Well, Major, it appears he's taken a liking to you," said Hammond, after George had been escorted out of the room.

"So it would seem," said Sam. "His speech is so odd, though. As if he's speaking for the first time."

"Maybe he is," said Daniel. "In a manner of speaking."

"What do you mean, Dr. Jackson?" asked Hammond.

"Remember how he repeated everything at first?" asked Daniel. "I think he was learning our language."

"He learned English in those few minutes?" asked Major Withers. "That's hard to believe."

"It's possible," said Daniel. "At first, he didn't seem to understand what we were saying. Then he suddenly began to talk, but he only repeated what we said. I think that he was repeating what we were saying to understand our language structure."

"That would indicate a very high degree of intelligence," said Sam.

"But he seems fixated on destroying the Gould," interjected Jack. "And he doesn't even have so much as a handgun. All he'll end up doing is getting himself killed."

"Are we not intent upon the same thing?" asked Teal'c.

"Not exactly," said Daniel. "We just want to protect ourselves against the Gould. He seems intent on destroying them. All of them. No one person could do that. The Gould may live on a single planet, but they're scattered all over the universe. It would take decades, even centuries, to track them all down and destroy them."

"Well, it's clear we have to convince him to change his mind," said Hammond. "I can't authorize anyone, even an alien from a dead world, to go off on a suicide mission."

"He seems pretty set on it, sir," said Jack. "I think we need to find out how he plans to do it. Maybe it will give us something we can use against the Gould."

"Let's wait until the doctor has finished her examination of him first," said Hammond. "Dr. Jackson, I'd like you and Major Carter to continue going over the material that Major Withers brought back from the planet. See if you can discover anything about who his people were and what type of scientific advancements they might have made before they were destroyed."

"What about me, sir?" asked Withers. "What do you want me to do?"

"Get some rest, Major," said the General. "You've been working pretty hard the last couple of weeks."

"Yes, sir," said Withers.

* * *

More than two hours had passed since George had "awakened" in his container. The doctor was still examining him while Sam and Daniel continued to pour over the wealth of material SG-7 had brought back from PX4275. So far, they had found out a great deal, but very little that would help them in their investigation. Translating the material into English was relatively easy. But there didn't seem to be much of use in the material.

Teal'c was meditating in his quarters. Jack, anxious as always, was trying to read a magazine. Trying, but having very little luck. There was nothing for him to do until the examination of George was complete and he hated simply sitting around.

Nothing new had been discovered about the container George had been in. Nothing seemed to penetrate its' surface. Even Dr. Lebowski was running out of ideas about how to proceed.

Dr. Janet Fraiser finally reported to General Hammond with the results of Georges' tests. What she found was mystifying.

"Anatomically," reported Fraiser, "he appears to be a human male of approximately thirty years of age. But physiologically, he's considerably different. I can't find any major organs anywhere in his body. His pulse and blood pressure seem to be consistent with ours. And his body temperature, while a little elevated, is still within acceptable levels."

"No organs?" questioned Hammond. "How is that possible?"

"I don't know, sir," said Fraiser. "It appears to be normal for him, not some form of abnormality. But the most mystifying thing I found was in his blood work. There's something throughout his entire system. They're almost microscopic in size. And there are millions of them in his body."

"What are they?" asked Hammond.

"To be honest, I don't know," said the doctor. "He does seem to exude a very low level of radiation. It's nothing dangerous, but I haven't figured out what's causing it."

"What about disease?" Hammond asked. "Are we in danger of being infected with anything? Or infecting him with anything?"

"I don't think so, sir," said Dr. Fraiser. "In fact, his body seems to be totally devoid of any microorganisms. Even the beneficial kinds that are found in almost every life form. Frankly, he has nothing that he could pass on to us. And I don't think any organism could live in his system."

"Well, in that case, there doesn't seem to be any reason to quarantine him," said Hammond. "Or keep him confined. He doesn't appear to be dangerous."

"I still have to analyze the test results some more," said Fraiser. "If I find out anything else, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, doctor," said Hammond.

"The examination is complete," said a voice from the doorway to Hammonds' office. He looked up to see George standing in the doorway with two guards behind him. "May I now be allowed to complete my mission?"

"I'm sorry, sir," said one of the guards. "He insisted on speaking with you."

"It's okay," said Hammond. "George, it's not that simple. There are other factors we have to consider."

"I do not understand," said George. "You said if I submitted to the examination, I would be allowed to complete my mission."

"In due course," said Hammond, standing up. "Please, be patient. There are still a few questions we need answered. And you're the only one who can give us the answers."

"Very well," said George. "I will wait a short time more. But I must be allowed to complete my mission soon."

"Let's go into the conference room," said Hammond. "Sergeant, would you ask Colonel O'Neill and his team to meet us there?"

"Yes, sir," said one of the guards. He immediately moved off to find Jack.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR

Everyone except Sam and Daniel were in the conference room. They had sent word that they had discovered something and would need a little more time to research it. They promised to arrive as soon as possible.

"Now, George," began Hammond, "your world. Can you tell us who your people were?"

"They were called the Elogin," said George. "The race consisted of approximately three hundred million inhabitants. They were a peaceful race. Then came the Goa'Uld. My people were not prepared for them."

"I have heard stories of the Elogin," said Teal'c. "The Goa'Uld felt they would make excellent slaves. But they resisted. As a punishment and an example to others, the System Lords destroyed their planet. I have always believed such stories were allegorical in nature."

"They are not," said George. "My people resisted. Many of the people escaped to other worlds. Others remained behind in the hope they could defeat the Goa'Uld. It would appear they were unsuccessful."

"There are few races that can stand against a mother ship," said Teal'c.

"If more of your people are out there," Jack said, "maybe we could send you to them. All we need are the coordinates to the worlds they went to and you can join them through the Stargate."

"That would not be possible," said George. "It was decided that, after a specified period of time, if the others did not come for them, the Stargate would be destroyed. So that the Goa'Uld could not follow."

"Ah, I see," said Jack. "A contingency plan in case those who stayed behind failed."

"Precisely," said George. "My creators planned for every contingency. That is my purpose. To stop the Goa'Uld from doing the same thing to another race. Now, if there are no more questions, I must be allowed to finish my mission."

"Not so fast," said Hammond. "We're not finished here yet."

"I am finished," said George, standing up. "I can waste no more time. My mission is all that is left to me. I will complete it now."

He turned and moved to the doorway of the room. Two armed guards stood at the doorway and blocked his exit. George didn't stop. He grabbed each guard by the collar and cast them aside as if they were nothing more than scarecrows of straw. Then he moved out of the room and into the chamber where the Stargate stood. An alarm began to sound throughout the complex.

* * *

"Daniel," said Sam. "Look at this. It seems to be some sort of quantum formula."

Daniel looked at the paper Sam was holding. It took him a minute to mentally translate the symbols so that he could understand them. It was quite complicated but it did appear to be some form of quantum formula.

"You're right," said Daniel. "And look at this part here. This equation looks similar to the equation generated at Los Alamos during the Second World War. It was the amount of energy they expected would be released with the detonation of the first atomic bomb."

"If I remember correctly," said Sam, "the actual explosion surprised even them."

"Yes, it did," said Daniel. "No one expected such a massive explosion, not even the main scientists working on the bomb. But this equation would indicate an explosion thousands of time more powerful than that one. I don't think every nuclear device on Earth could generate that amount of energy."

"So it seems they had devised some sort of thermonuclear equation," said Sam. "But that doesn't make any sense. That equation would have required the Theory of Relativity or something very similar. We haven't found anything that shows they had formulated that theory. How could they have devised the explosive yield of an atomic bomb when they didn't know about nuclear fission?"

"That's a good question," said Daniel. "Maybe it's not a thermonuclear equation. The figures are a bit different from similar ones I've seen. Maybe it's some other form of energy they discovered that we haven't yet."

"Well, whatever it is," said Sam, "it appears they only intended to use it once."

"Why do you say that?" asked Daniel.

"Here," said Sam, pointing at a paragraph higher up on the paper. "This sentence here. It indicates that this equation would create only a singularly instance. Awful strange wording, I must say."

"That's not singularly," said Daniel. "That word is singularity. You see the little mark here right over the . . . " His voice trailed off as the reality of what he had just said hit him.

"Singularity?" asked Sam. "You mean, like in a black hole? Sometimes it's referred to as a quantum singularity."

"Exactly," said Daniel. "Here, let me take a look at that."

He read the paper Sam had been holding. Then he searched through the stack of papers before them and found several others. He quickly translated them and began to inform Sam of what they said.

"It would seem that Georges' people had designed some kind of doomsday bomb," he said. "A super bomb that was designed to destroy the Gould home world. It was supposed to contain the energy output of a quantum singularity, or a black hole."

"That would do it," said Sam. "But harnessing the power of a black hole. It's almost unimaginable. I didn't think it was possible to do that."

"I don't think that's what they had in mind," said Daniel, thinking. "Theoretically, it is possible to generate power of that magnitude. Enough anti-matter would do it."

"How much anti-matter?" Sam asked. She was beginning to get a very bad feeling.

"I'm not sure," said Daniel. "Anti-matter equations are only theoretical at this point. I'm not a physicist. But I would imagine that about one hundred fifty to two hundred pounds of it would be enough to . . . "

"Oh my God," said Sam. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"It doesn't seem possible," said Daniel.

"Major Withers DID say their science was vastly superior to ours," returned Sam. "If they felt one bomb, if it was powerful enough, would solve their problems, they would have thrown every resource they had into it. And we have seen some pretty amazing things on other worlds."

"We have to let General Hammond know about this immediately," said Daniel. "If this is true, the entire Earth could be in danger."

Suddenly the two heard the alarms begin to sound throughout the complex. They left the papers scattered around the room and ran as fast as they could to the Stargate chamber. When they got there, the sight that greeted them was appalling.

George was standing about ten feet from the Stargate. A dozen guards stood around him, M-16s trained on him. General Hammond and the rest of SG-1 and the control personnel stood at the other end of the chamber. Three of the chevrons for the Stargate were locked into place and the gate was spinning for the fourth chevron.

"Lieutenant," ordered Hammond, "shut it down. Now!"

"I can't, sir," responded the Lieutenant. "The system won't respond. It's as if it's operating on its' own."

Sam looked at the control panel and recognized the chevrons that were already locked into place. They were the coordinates for the Goa'Uld home world. In a few seconds, the remaining chevrons would be locked into place and the Stargate would open a wormhole to that planet.

Sam didn't hesitate. In the back of the room was a fire axe hanging next to a fire extinguisher. Sam smashed the glass on the case holding the axe and retrieved it. Then she stepped over to the control panel and brought it crashing down on the panel several times.

Suddenly the panel sputtered and went blank. The Stargate stopped spinning. Since the Stargate was linked to the control panel, destroying the panel had aborted the encoding sequence, preventing the gate from activating.

George looked up at the now silent gate, then over at General Hammond.

"You will not stop me that easily," said George. He closed his eyes and appeared to be concentrating. Suddenly, as if of it's own accord, the Stargate once again began to spin, locking in the coordinates for the Goa'Uld home world.

"George, if you don't stop this immediately," shouted Hammond, "I'll have to order my men to open fire."

"General, no," shouted Daniel. "You can't do that. If you shoot him, he might go off."

"What are you talking about, Dr. Jackson?" demanded Hammond. "Somehow he's gained control of the Stargate. He's trying to dial the coordinates for the Goa'Uld home world so he can complete his mission."

"You can't shoot him, General," said Daniel. "Please, trust me. You can't take that risk."

"And why not?" demanded Jack.

"Because, sir," said Samantha coming down from the control room as the third chevron was once again locked into place. "George isn't a man. He's a bomb. An anti-matter bomb. If you shoot him, he might detonate. And if that happens, the resulting explosion could well destroy the entire planet."

Jack and General Hammond could only stare at George as the fourth chevron locked into place.


	5. Chapter 5

FIVE

"I don't know what the hell is going on here," shouted Hammond, "but I can't allow him to go through the Stargate."

Teal'c stepped between George and the Stargate as the fifth chevron locked into place.

"I will not allow you to enter the Stargate," said Teal'c.

"Do not delude yourself, Joshnu," said George. "You are no more of a hindrance to me than these are. I will complete my mission and I will not allow anyone to stop me."

The sixth chevron locked into place. Teal'c launched himself at George intent on stopping him. But George moved with unbelievable speed. He sidestepped Teal'c and grabbed him by the arm. With relative ease, George cast Teal'c away from the Stargate. Teal'c slammed into the far war and clambered to the floor as the seventh and final chevron locked into place.

The iris covering the Stargate opened. The Stargate activated and George turned to move toward it.

"Lieutenant," shouted Hammond to the officer in charge of the security team, "that man does not enter the Stargate."

"Understood, sir," responded the Lieutenant.

"No," shouted Sam. She moved from Jack and stood next to George as he was preparing to enter the Stargate. "George, please listen to me. Those men will kill you if you try to enter the Stargate. And they could destroy our planet if they do. Just give us enough time to understand what's going on."

"I must complete my mission," said George. "If you have figured out what I am, then you must also understand that I have no choice. I must complete my mission."

"I understand," said Sam. "But if you try to go through the Stargate, your mission will end before you have a chance to complete it. The Gould home world will still be there in ten minutes. Please, do it for me."

George looked at Sam, then at the men holding the loaded M-16s on him. He had no doubt they would shoot. He was also confidant he could make it through the Stargate before they stopped him.

The look in Sam's' eyes was compelling to him. There was general concern in her eyes for him. As compelling as his mission was, the look in Sam's' eyes was just as compelling. He looked at General Hammond.

"I will give you ten minutes," said George.

As if of it's own volition, the Stargate suddenly shut down.

* * *

"Dr. Jackson, Major Carter, I want to know what the hell is going on here," demanded General Hammond.

George had offered no resistance when Hammond ordered everyone into the conference room. Six armed guards stood around George who sat quietly in a chair next to Sam.

"While we were going through the records brought back by SG-7," said Daniel, "we discovered that those people had developed what we might call a doomsday bomb. Further investigation has led us to believe that George," he glanced over at George nervously, "is that bomb."

"What?" Jack asked. "Daniel, what the hell does that mean? George is a person, not a bomb."

"I'm afraid Daniel is right, Colonel," interjected Sam. "George may look and act like a person, but in reality he's a very sophisticated bomb. And a very powerful bomb. The bulk of George's body comprises almost pure anti-matter."

"Anti-matter?" questioned Hammond. "How is that possible?"

"As I have stated," said George suddenly, "my creators designed me to destroy their enemies."

"He's an android of sorts," said Daniel. "His brain is a very sophisticated computer. But ninety eight percent of his body is comprised of anti-matter. He's what you would call an anti-matter bomb. That is how he will be able to destroy the Gould."

"But the Gould aren't on only a single planet," said Hammond. "We've encountered them scattered all across the universe. And one single bomb wouldn't destroy all of the Gould on a single planet."

"George could, sir," said Sam. "The amount of anti-matter in George's body would cause an explosion large enough to rip the atmosphere away from a planet. That's why you couldn't shoot him. If he had detonated, he would have destroyed all life on Earth."

No one in the room said a word. Since 1945, everyone was well aware of the destructiveness of nuclear weapons. How a single bomb could destroy hundreds of thousands or even millions of people in a single moment. But even that paled in comparison to the destructiveness of this single bomb.

"That would still leave the rest of the Gould scattered throughout the universe," said Hammond. "Destroy their home world and they'll just reassemble on another planet. You'll have accomplished nothing."

"Not if they cannot reach another planet," said George.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Jack.

"Once I reach the Gim-Sho-Tu home world," said George, "I will reactivate their Stargate. As you have seen, I have the capability to remotely control the Stargate. I do this through the device normally used to activate it. In your case, I was able to activate it through your own computer system.

"When I activate the Gim-Sho-Tu's Stargate, I will activate it on a special frequency. This frequency will link all Stargates everywhere through an underlying area of space that is not accessible through normal means.

"When I detonate, the Gim-Sho-Tus' Stargate will be destroyed sending a shock wave through the gate system and make all Stargates everywhere inoperable permanently. The Gim-Sho-Tu, those whom you call the Goa'Uld, will never again be able to travel to other planets."

"That won't stop them," said Sam. "The Gould have mother ships that allow them to travel between planets at incredible speeds. They may not be able to travel through the Stargates, but they'll still be able to reach other planets."

"That changes nothing," he said. "My primary mission is to destroy the home world of the Gim-Sho-Tu. While it may not put an end to all Gim-Sho-Tu, most of them will be destroyed."

"Isn't there anything we can say to make you change your mind?" asked Hammond. "Sacrificing yourself would be a futile attempt to complete your mission."

"I am sorry, General," said George. "I cannot alter my programming. I must complete my mission. Your people use computers extensively. You must be aware that a computer must follow it's programming. I have no choice in this matter."

"Is it not possible that many of your people were taken by the Goa'Uld before they destroyed your planet?" asked Teal'c.

"This is true," said George. "It was the reason my people rebelled against them. When they first came to our planet, my people greeted them as friends. Then they began to take the people by force. To be used as slaves on other worlds. That is when I was created. To prevent them from taking any more people."

"Well," said Jack, "the descendants of those people are probably still living on the Gould home world. If you complete your mission, you'll be destroying them as well."

"I regret this," said George. "But it cannot be helped. I believe you have a term for this. It is called collateral damage.

"I believe your time is up, General. As Dr. Jackson and Major Carter have explained, you cannot stop me without endangering your own planet. My strength is great enough that your few guards cannot stop me. And I do not need your control system to activate the Stargate. It is time for me to complete my mission."

George stood up ready to move to the Stargate.


	6. Chapter 6

SIX

General Hammond looked around the room. He wasn't ready to let George leave just yet, but he was clearly at a loss about how to stop him. George was right about all those things. The way he had slung Teal'c around showed that he had tremendous strength.

He had already manipulated the Stargate twice. Without benefit of the computer controls set up for just that purpose. And he couldn't risk shooting George. That would be more disastrous than letting him leave.

"George, please," said Hammond, "give us some more time. We have to understand what's going on here."

"You know all you need to," said George. "I promised you ten minutes. That time has expired. If you will not allow me to complete my mission, I will have no choice but to take matters into my own hands."

Jack was strangely quiet. He seemed to be thinking about something. George turned and moved from the room. A nod from Hammond told the guards not to stop him. The guards parted to let George pass.

They all followed George into the Stargate room. The iris was once again closed and several guards stood around it. A wave of Hammonds' hand and the guards evacuated the room.

Sam's' sabotage of the control room had actually been minor. She had simply cut the main power to the control computer that had shut the computer down. It had taken the technicians only a few minutes to repair it.

"George, please," pleaded Hammond one last time. "There has to be another way. There's no sense in sacrificing yourself this way.

"He's right, George," said Sam. "If you go through with this, you'll be sacrificing yourself for nothing."

"There is no other choice," said George. "I must complete my mission. I cannot alter that. Please, activate the Stargate now."

"Lieutenant," ordered Hammond, without taking his eyes off George, "activate the Stargate for PX1217."

"But sir," responded the Lieutenant in the control room, "if I do that he'll . . . "

"Just follow orders, Lieutenant," said Hammond. "Activate the Stargate for the coordinates to PX1217."

"Yes, sir," said the Lieutenant.

Everyone in the room knew what Hammond was doing. PX1217 was not the Goa'Uld home world. It was a planet they had discovered early in the Stargate project. But the remote they had sent through had shown that the atmosphere of the planet had been destroyed. Perhaps by the Goa'Uld. At any rate, it was incapable of sustaining life.

No one liked what Hammond was doing, but they also understood he had no choice. Without the benefit of the remote, George would have no way of knowing what lay on the other side of the wormhole. Once he stepped through the Stargate, he wouldn't live more than a few seconds.

The seven chevrons locked into place and the Stargate activated. George turned toward the gate. He looked back at the group one last time. The look on his face suggested that what he was about to do truly saddened him.

"General," said Jack finally, "before we let George complete his mission I have a question for him."

"Very well, Colonel," said Hammond.

"George," said Jack. "You said you couldn't alter your programming."

"That is correct," said George. "It is clear you are unfamiliar with computers. If you were, you would understand that a computer can only do what it is programmed for. I am essentially a very sophisticated computer controlled bomb."

"I'm still not clear on something," said Jack. "What exactly were your instructions?"

"I have stated this already," said George.

"Humor me," said Jack. "I can be kind of thick headed sometimes. Please, just so I'm clear on this. What exactly were your instructions?"

"Upon my activation," said George, "I am to proceed immediately to the nearest Stargate. Once there, I am to transport myself to the Gim-Sho-Tu home world and destroy it and the Stargate network."

"I see," said Jack. "It would seem to me that you've already disregarded part of your orders. If you can disregard part of them, can't you disregard the rest of them?"

"You are mistaken," said George. "I am completing my mission."

"No," said Sam, suddenly realizing what Jack was doing, "Colonel O'Neill is right. You said your orders were to proceed IMMEDIATELY to the nearest Stargate. You didn't do that. You've stayed with us for several hours. You didn't proceed immediately to the Stargate."

"The situation required a minor adjustment to my instructions," said George. "It changes nothing."

"Well, you're right about one thing," said Jack. "I'm not much for computers. I leave that tech stuff to the experts. But it seems to me that if you can adjust your instructions once, you can do it again."

"Jack's right," said Daniel. "Based on the situation, you altered your mission instructions. Which means you aren't bound solely by your programming. You can make changes based on the situation."

George just looked at the group. His computer mind was racing, trying to sort out their logic. His programming told him that he could not ignore his instructions. He must complete his mission and destroy the enemy of his people.

But these people were also correct. He had altered part of his instructions because of the situation he had found. He had not gone immediately to the Stargate, as his instructions had dictated. There had to be some logical reason that would reconcile these conflicting situations.

"Like O'Neill," said Teal'c, "I know little of the technology of this world. But it occurs to me that if you are capable of altering your instructions, then you are clearly more than just a machine."

"That is not possible," said George. "I was created for a single purpose. I can be nothing more than what I was created to be."

"That's not exactly true," said Daniel. "George, you said your people prepared you for any contingency. Exactly how did they accomplish this?"

"I was programmed with the total of the knowledge of my people," said George. "I am, in essence, a library of everything my people had learned."

"Well, in a sense," said Daniel, "a newborn baby is little more than a biological machine. It has no memories, no skills, no training. Over the years, it begins to learn. At some point, the baby exceeds the sum of everything it's learned. It becomes self-aware.

"That may be what's happened here. You've been programmed with so much information, so much knowledge, that you've exceeded your programming. You're not just the computerized bomb your people designed. You've become a sentient being."

"That is not possible," said George. "I am a mechanism, nothing more."

"George," said Sam, "what do you want to do?"

"I must complete my mission," said George.

"No, George," said Sam, "what do you WANT to do? If you had your choice, what would you choose for yourself?"

"If given a choice," said George, "I would devote my life to reestablishing the culture of my people. Perhaps build a shrine to the great achievements they made."

"Then you ARE more than just a programmed bomb," said Daniel. "Your people made some great scientific advancements. Greater even than what we have here on Earth. How did your people define life?"

"Life," said George, "an organism which exists, reproduces, is aware of its' surroundings, is self aware, and possesses the capacity to alter itself or its' surroundings based on changing situations."

"Then I would submit," said Daniel, "that you fit the criteria for life."

"I am not capable of reproducing," said George.

"Maybe not," said Sam, "but Daniels' right. You exist. You know you're not where you were programmed to be, which means you are aware of your surroundings. You refer to yourself as 'I', which shows you to be self-aware. And you've already altered your basic programming because of the situation you found when we activated you."

"And being unable to reproduce is not necessarily a requirement," said Hammond. "I had an aunt when I was younger who was incapable of having children. But no one disputed that she was alive."

"Face it, George," said Jack, "you may not have come into the world in the usual way, but you are as much alive as anyone in this room. This means you have the right to make your own choices. Regardless of what programming your 'creators' might have given you."

George didn't move. His mind was absorbing the new information these others had just given him. What they said made sense. He DID fit the definition of a living organism defined by his people. And he was capable of rational thought and decision. The definition of intelligent life as defined by his people.

"What you say makes sense," said George. "But it does not alter my mission. I must destroy the enemy of my people. Would you not do the same to the enemies of your people?"

"If necessary, yes," said Jack. "But I wouldn't march into their headquarters and blow myself up. That doesn't accomplish anything. I think it was General Patton who once said, 'you don't win a war by dying for your country. You win a war by making the other poor sap die for his country.'"

"A very wise man, this General Patton," said Teal'c. "I would like to meet him."

Jack just looked annoyed at Teal'c.

"The point of all this, George," said Sam, "is that you aren't just a mindless automated bomb. You have the ability to make rational decisions. You can choose not to go through with your mission."

George considered everything he had been told. His programming was clear. But so was the logic of Sam and the others. If he was more than just the sum of his programming, then he was as much a sentient being as anyone in the room. Which meant he could choose his own fate; his own destiny.

"General Hammond," said George finally. "You may deactivate your Stargate. It would appear that I will not be going anywhere for the moment."

Silently, everyone sighed a sigh of relief. General Hammond ordered the Stargate shut down. The lieutenant gladly obeyed the General.


	7. Chapter 7

SEVEN

"What will you do now, George?" asked Sam. "In America we believe that everyone has the right to do whatever they want."

George had agreed not to destroy the Goa'Uld home world as he had been programmed to. Everyone sat in the conference room, relieved that millions of innocent lives wouldn't be destroyed along with the Goa'Uld who lived on that world.

"I cannot stay here," said George. "As you have said, I have the right to choose. But I cannot ignore my programming indefinitely. Anymore than you can ignore your programming."

"Humans aren't programmed," said Jack.

"Perhaps not in the same way as I am," said George, "but all creatures are programmed, in a sense. A purpose for why you exist. No creature can ignore their purpose forever. Eventually, you will have to fulfill the mission for which you were created, whatever that mission may be.

"It is the same with me. While I can choose to ignore my programming for a time, eventually I will be forced to complete my mission. It was the sole reason for my creation. That makes me a danger to everyone."

"All we have to do is keep you away from the Stargate," said General Hammond. "If you can't get to the gate, you can't go to the Gould home world."

"That's not the only danger, sir," said Daniel. "While George may be a sentient being, his body is still comprised mostly of anti-matter. If someone should get hold of him, his very body could be turned into a weapon of mass destruction against his will. And it's possible it could be turned into several weapons."

"Well, we can't just lock him up," said Hammond. "He hasn't done anything wrong. And we can't keep him hold up in a hotel room for the rest of his life. I'm open to any suggestions anyone has."

"Perhaps I have a solution," said George. "If we may go to the Stargate, I will offer my solution."

A few minutes later, everyone was in the Stargate room. The iris was once again closed, preventing anyone from entering through it without permission. George stood in front of the Stargate and once again concentrated.

The Stargate began to spin, locking in each of the chevrons that would open the gate to its' destination. One by one, the chevrons locked into place until the last one locked into place. Everyone heard the sound of the Stargate activate.

"What world have you opened the Stargate to?" asked Hammond.

"Sir," said the Lieutenant in the Stargate control room, "the coordinates for that wormhole are for PXG135."

"That was one of the first worlds we opened the Stargate to," commented Hammond. "We've never sent anyone to investigate the planet because there wasn't any DHD that we could find."

"DHD?" questioned George.

"Yeah, that's what we call it," said Jack. "The dial home device. It's the thing that activates the Stargate on other worlds that we visit. Without it, we couldn't get back home."

"I see," said George. "And you are correct. There is no DHD, as you call it. My people destroyed it before my creation. The world is very similar to my own. And similar to Earth, as well. According to the records of my people, they planned to use this world as a type of last resort refuge.

"As you know, I was created to destroy the Gim-Sho-Tu home world, and by that eliminating their threat. However, in the event that I was unsuccessful, they would retreat to this world. Without the DHD, as you call it, no one could ever leave this world. Once my people transported themselves to this world, they planned to destroy the Stargate, thereby preventing anyone from following them."

"You planning to go there, aren't you?" asked Sam.

"Yes," said George. "Without the DHD, I will be unable to leave that planet and will be unable to complete my mission. While I will be unable to destroy the Gim-Sho-Tu, I will also be unable to destroy those whom they have enslaved.

"However, I will not destroy the Stargate once I am there. I understand you have the means to communicate through the Stargate. This may prove helpful in the future."

"But you'll never be able to leave there," said Daniel. "You'll be all alone on an entire planet."

"A small price to pay," said George. "Besides, I will have much to do. I will build the shrine of which I spoke. I will establish a great library as a repository of my peoples' knowledge."

"Well, we can help in that respect," said General Hammond. "While you may not be able to return to Earth, we will be able to send supplies to you. I think the first thing you should do is construct an iris similar to ours to prevent anyone from going to that planet."

"That would be a sensible precaution," said George. "And I will provide you with knowledge gained by my people as I reconstruct it. Perhaps there is something contained in that knowledge that will aid you in your fight against the Goa'Uld."

"That would be greatly appreciated," said General Hammond.

"I must go, now," said George. "I thank you for all that you have done for me. I hope that someday I will be able to repay you for your kindness."

"Don't go just yet," said Sam. "I'll be right back."

She left the Stargate room leaving everyone bewildered. A couple of minutes later she returned and handed a card to George. Taped to the card was a lock of blonde hair. The same blonde color as her own hair.

"Just something to remember us by," said Sam.

"Thank you," said George, taking the card. "I regret we will never see each other again. I believe you could have taught me a great deal."

"Don't worry about that," said General Hammond. "We'll send you a radio so that we can keep in touch. You may not be able to leave PX1227, but we can still talk to each other."

"I will look forward to that," said George. "I hope that on occasion you and I will be able to talk as well," he said to Sam.

"Count on it," said Sam.

"Again, thank you all," said George. "I hope your war against the Goa'Uld goes well."

Without another word, George turned and moved to the Stargate. He hesitated for only a moment, and then stepped through the wormhole.

"Sir," said the Lieutenant in the control room, "he's arrived at PXG135."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Hammond. "Major Carter, we're going to need someone to coordinate what equipment we send to George. Would you like to take care of that?"

"Thank you, sir," said Sam. "I'd like that very much."

"It's not going to work, you know," said Jack.

"What's that, sir?" asked Sam.

"The long distance relationship," replied Jack, sarcastically. "They never work out."

Sam just laughed at the joke, and then went to the Quartermaster to arrange for the equipment and supplies they would be sending to George.

The End

If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more "Stargate" stories at my website, Creative Passions, listed in my bio. You can also post your own "Stargate" stories or other stories if you like to write fan fiction.


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